This month, filming has begun Ridley Scott and Apple TV+’s upcoming Napoleon Bonaparte film, and thanks to a report from Deadline, it has been revealed that the film has undergone a title change. The film, which was once being called Kitbag will now be called simply Napoleon.
Scott has been on a roll lately with bringing true-to-life stories to the big screen, with his recent critical success with The Last Duel and House of Gucci, and he does seem ready to let that streak end with this next film about the infamous French leader. The film is said to tell the story of Bonaparte's rise to prominence in France, showcasing both his political prowess and his many military battles that helped him make a name for himself. The film is also reported to give focus to the relationship between Napoleon and his wife Empress Josephine, whose marriage was annulled in 1810 by Napoleon due to a lack of heirs.
Napoleon will star Academy Award winner Joaquin Phoenix (Joker) as Napoleon Bonaparte and the Academy Award-nominated Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) as Empress Josephine. Kirby is actually filling in for the role at the last minute after Jodie Comer (The Last Duel) had to drop out.
While Napoleon will be the first collaboration between Scott and Kirby, it will be reuniting him with Phoenix. The two previously worked together on Gladiator which earned both Oscar nominations, Scott for Best Director and Phoenix for Best Supporting Actor, the actor’s first nomination. The film will also be reuniting Scott with David Scarpa, who has written the script for Napoleon and previously wrote Scott's 2017 historical crime thriller All the Money in the World.
Scott is not the only famed director to be currently working on telling the story of Napoleon Bonaparte. As recently as last October, Cary Joji Fukunaga (No Time To Die, True Detective) has said he is actively working with Steven Spielberg and HBO to bring Stanley Kubrick's Napoleon film to life as a series. Kubrick came close to filming his Napoleon film, a passion project of his, in 1969, with Jack Nicholson in the title role and with preproduction already underway when MGM canceled the before cameras could start rolling. Fukunaga was last quoted about the project saying “We've got all the scripts of the episodes now, and we're getting ready to see where the next stage is on it. So it's happening."
However, it is very likely Scott’s Napoleon will be seen by audiences first, as it has already begun shooting and is expected to be released on Apple TV+ in 2023.